FACES IN THE CROWD

Clarence Bower, 14, son of a McGraws, W. Va. coal miner and a marble-shooter for live years, defeated 13-year-old Louie Harris of Cumberland, Md., 11 games to three in one of the shortest finals ever played to win the national championship, in Wildwood, N.J.

Ensign Steve Martin of Bay Ridge, Md., who graduated in June from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., out-raced 11 other skippers to win the three-day intercollegiate single-handed sailing championships on Seattle's Lake Washington.

Jim Bostwick, an all-round athlete from Brookville, N.Y. who holds the U.S. court-tennis title and also excels at racquets and ice hockey, beat Baron Paul Rolin of Belgium 8 and 7 in the 36-hole final for the French Amateur golf championship in Deauville.

Jack Whaling of Glendale, Calif., celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with a fishing trip to Hawaii and caught a world-record (pending) 1,095-pound Pacific blue marlin. He took one hour and 20 minutes to land the big fish on his 130-pound-test line.

During the past few months Bill Talbert has been teaching his 12-year-old son Peter how to play net. We felt that Talbert's instructions to his son would also be of interest to our readers, from 12-year-olds on up. What follows is intended solely for those who have never played net, those who have played it only under direct order from a partner and those who have played it with gusto but without effect. In short, it is intended for most tennis players

Steve Caminiti, a senior hurdler at Crespi Carmelite High in Encino, Calif., broke a U.S. schoolboy record and tied another this spring. He equaled the mark of 13.7 in the 120-yard high hurdles and set a new standard of 18.1 in the 180-yard low hurdles.

Bob Goeltz, 17, who plays tennis at Landon School in Bethesda, Md. overpowered Peter Fishback of Great Neck, N.Y. 6-2, 6-4, 8-6 for the USLTA interscholastic title and then paired with teammate Dick Dell to take the doubles, in Williamstown, Mass.